Young people present report to UN on pressures they face

Young people have presented a report to the United Nations highlighting their views on the greatest pressures and complications facing children and teenagers in Ireland today.

The report – based on surveys of more than 2,000 children – captures issues ranging from online privacy and body image to religion in the classroom and the treatment of young asylum seekers.

Discrimination in many forms is a key theme of the report, with young people highlighting their experiences of being ignored or treated unequally because of their age.

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Megan Ni Mhathuna on body image pressure: “Young people don’t strive to be happy and healthy – they work towards being thin and having perfect hair and skin.” Photograph: Maxwells

They have also put forward a range of proposals to help tackle these issues, such as improving community mental health services and ending the direct provision system for those seeking refugee status.

This week, five young people attended the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, where they presented the PictureYourRights report to a panel of international children's rights experts.

Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ireland’s record on children’s rights is periodically examined by the UN.

Project team

On Wednesday, the project team behind the report – made up of 31 young people from a range of backgrounds – said its aim was to help create a country where children were treated equally.

“We want an Ireland where we are valued, treated equally and made to feel like we all belong,” the group said in a joint statement.

“We want an Ireland where our opinions are heard and action is taken based on them. We want an Ireland that respects us and our futures,” the group said.

Unicef and the Children's Rights Alliance, which supported the production of the report, said policymakers should take note of its proposals to help ensure all young people have a chance to reach their potential.

"This group of young people has told us what life is like for young people in Ireland in 2015," said Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children's Rights Alliance.

“Their lives are more pressurised and complicated than ever before . . . They are brilliant young people, their honesty is inspiring, and they deserve to be listened to. I call on the Government and policymakers to take note and take action so that every young person has a chance to have their potential fulfilled.”

Peter Power, Unicef Ireland's executive director, said it was an opportunity for children and young people to share their views directly with members of the UN.

“We believe in empowering young people to speak for themselves, to share their ambitions, concerns and experiences of being young in Ireland.

“Together with the Children’s Rights Alliance members, we have shown a picture of Ireland through the lens of its youngest citizens.”

Next year, Ireland’s performance on respecting and promoting children’s rights will be examined by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

A total of 18 experts will assess Ireland’s performance on a range of children’s rights issues, including education, equality and access to essential services.